Daily Archives: 05/28/2012

This Memorial Day, I am not feeling very happy about it. In fact, I’m a little pissed off.
Members of the US Military are held to a very high standard… Higher than American Society, and higher than the US President. If you want to join the US Military you can not be a Drug User. In fact, if you admit to have ever used drugs – you are not allowed in. That’s just the standard that is set for them. And it’s a good standard. The US Military should be held to the highest standards, because they are the best Military Force ever fielded on the planet. Expectations of them should be high. That’s what sets them apart.
Yet if you are a Pot Smoker, and you brag about it, and made it a part of you very character… You can become the President of the United States! The Commander and Chief isnt held to the same standard as a buck private. Yet this dope fiend is going to order the buck private to go to some godforsaken shithole for reasons I still can not fathom to help people who hate everything we stand for… so this private can risk getting his privates blown off. The fact that the POTUS smoked a ton of weed – actually explains a lot.
And then we have Major Media Reporters say that those soldiers who fall – he in uncomfortable calling them heroes. Other sources in the Media – as well as our own Government view Veterans as potential Terrorists.

On one hand, American Society expects our Soldiers to be bastions of Honor and Integrity… while they are over there. American Society expects them to be Educated, Compassionate and to accomplish jobs that are historically impossible… that is the expectation. To be Super-Human in Character and Accomplishments. Yet when they come home – they are not to be called Heroes and they are looked upon with Suspicion.
I know one particular Serviceman who is a Prime Example of this. He is very smart, he is a published Author and has helped other authors with their very popular books. He is Educated, He is Trained and Experienced. He’s a great guy, loyal and dedicated and would be a Great Asset to any company that would hire him. This is the type of guy that you would think any company would be searching for. American Society should be trying to recruit guys like this – because these are the guys that get things done. Unfortunately he’s got a Military Background. That means he’s to be avoided by American Society. He’s unwanted. Don’t think for a second that this isn’t true. This was my own experience, and the experience of my own brother as well.
I watched one of the Managers for CONVERGYS discard the Resume for a former US Marine. This Marine had all the certs that were required and more so, and years of experience, more than were required. But the Resume was discarded because the Manager Chick “Didn’t want to hire a Psycho.” That’s the Mentality of American Society today. They as a whole do not understand what it is to have served. The sacrificed that are made. The struggle to meet the expectations and standards of Military Service…. and they don’t understand the insulting lack of respect that is shoveled on them when they get out. No one is asking for anything, just for some Dignity. But that seems to be too much to ask for.

And I am supposed to Celebrate Memorial Day? I Mourn it. The meaning is completely lost on the ignorant masses of American Society who only look at this day as a day off of work and to enjoy a Sale at their favorite Retail Outlets. I mourn this day. Because children are growing up not knowing what this day is about and are taught to shun those that this day is for. Some understand… some people get it. And they honor the day. But as a whole, American Society has forgotten… and worse yet, they don’t care.

If anyone out there has a Job for a good and honorable man – one of the best I know – Let me know. He’s been looking for work for months and has only had one interview. This is the guy you want on your team. Contact me if you have a job that needs to be filled.

This is the X132 Hellcat from Confederate. It radiates Badass like it’s the Chernobyl of Badassery. Even the name is badass. Let’s talk about the name for a sec… It’s very fitting. In WWII at the start of the Pacific Theatre Conflict, the US Navy had a lot of fighters called the Wildcat. The Jap Zeroes had little problem knocking them out of the sky as the Zeeks were faster, more agile, and just gave us hell. So the US Navy decided to give them hell. They came out with the Hellcat and it was all about brutality. More powerful engines and weapons and all the sudden the table was turned. It was an overpowered, overgunned fighter that claimed 5271 enemy fighters – more than any other allied aircraft.

Now take a look at this motorcycle and tell me it’s not worthy of that name!

2163 CC’s of Muscle giving the Hellcat 132 Horsepower and an asskicking 150 pounds of torque. That’s a ridiculous amount of power in such a little bike. It’s heavy, 500 pounds, but that weight is all engine. This bike is a wicked cross between a Bobber and a Cafe Racer.

The Hellcat is no chopped and beefed up Harley. Don’t let the V-Twin engine fool you. This bike is engineered from the ground up to be exactly what it is… a brutal force of nature that has no mercy for it’s enemies… Everything on the bike is designed specifically for it’s purpose. This is Engineering from the school of the Ends Justify The Means.

The Cafe Racer style is my favorite kind of motorcycle. It’s stripped down, purpose driven, lean, and angry. And then there is Confederate Motorcycle’s take on the Cafe Racer concept… I think the early planning stages had a discussion over what bike this would end up being.

“Gentilemen, this is a Cafe Racer.” Thuggish looking brutes with folded arms and stoney faces looked at the little Cafe bike with disapproval. One of them unfolded an arm like a side of beef and raised it…
“It needs more.”
“More of what?”
And then to illustrate what the bike needed more off, the large brute smashed the board room table into splinters with his fists, and then ate it.
“Build it.”
And that’s how the Hellcat was born… through malice and furious rage. This is bike isn’t in a Biker’s Dream… This bike is in a Biker’s Nightmares – this is coming after them – and they can’t get away from it no matter what they do. The hellcat is coming for them. This is the bike that Death himself rides, this is Mortis. And Hell follows it.

Saturday’s Defensive Pistol Class was the hardest class we’ve ever put on. In the morning, an hour before the class started, we arrived and started setting up the targets. It was a beautiful morning and we were looking forward to having a great day of training.

Looking towards Vernalstan

As the students started to arrive, so did the wind. The wind was brutal. We had Veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan that said it was just like over there. The wind was picking up sand and dust and blasting us all day long. Sand would get in the guns, in your eyes, ears and teeth, and in your sinuses. And that wasn’t the worst of it. We’d watch helplessly as the target boards were snapped off the stands and carried up over the berms, over the mountains. Paper targets that were taped to the boards were shredded, and then ripped off the boards, and then the boards were ripped off the stands. This was the worst training environment I have ever trained in. I wanted to Postpone the class… But the students wanted to train, so we trained.

Started out with 12, ended up with 5.

The students all did a great job. They worked hard and trained hard in these horrible conditions. One guy was having problems with sand getting into his contacts, but he stayed and trained through the end.

What you don't see here, is the Sand Blasting Effect going on.

It really felt like being Sand Blasted, it would sting, the skin and eyes. This was unpleasant. With the sand getting into everything, we did have some problems with some weapons. One of the Walthers started jamming very badly and was failing to go into battery with more consistency than not. Sand in the magazines started getting troublesome for an XD shooter. The worst of it though was the sand contamination that brought a S&W Revolver to it’s knees.

Dave shooting around simulated cover

If there is any lesson to be learned from training in these conditions… it’s that these are the same conditions experienced by our troops over in Iraq and Afghanistan. We expect them to perform in it. Such conditions make doing everything more difficult and unpleasant to say the least. But with following the basic core fundamentals of shooting technique and malfunction clearing… you can overcome the environmental difficulties. These students can no handle shooting in situations like these… they can handle anything. Great job to everyone that attended.

But right here is what made this class, as brutal as it was, very special to me. Our good friend brought out his daughter to train. She’s 13. She had never done anything like this before and really took to it.

Dad's what else is better than taking your girl training?

She did a great job in some of the worst conditions, with a gun that was jamming like a jazz band. Dad was proud of her, fit to bust. I was proud of her too… I’ve known her since she was just a little tiny thing and it’s good to see her being raised right.

After the class, some of our Crusader 870 Shotguns came out to play, one had been transferred to a customer the day before and the other was Joe’s personal training gun.

Nothing makes me grin like a good Shotgun

The actions were so smooth it felt like I was shooting Semi Autos. Cycling was effortless and fast. There were no failures of any kind and the patterns were good with the loads used. With the Rifle Sights, I was able to pick up targets and engage them fast and accurately, just as fast as with a Ghost Ring set up, but with much more precision. It doesn’t have the Cool Guy winged rear sights that are popular because they look cool… These sights just work better. When you start launching slugs, Ghost Rings are no help. Rifle sights are what you need.

I want to personally thank my assistant instructors who were dealing these these conditions and the environmental issues we were having. Joe and Zack, hopefully we never have to teach a Sand Storm again… but if we do – we know we can get it done.

"Really? Another target stand blown off the range?"

This was not a Fun Day at all. It was hard. It was unpleasant. It was draining. And that’s what Training is all about.